


A Mizuhiki for each Season

by BanhTM



Series: Mizuhiki Cy/Cy [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: 19th & 20th Century Japan, F/M, Family, Friendship, Historical AU, Mizuhikishipping, slice-of-life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:28:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29292132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BanhTM/pseuds/BanhTM
Summary: As the country sets its sight onto a modern vision, there are some that have been left behind. For the young folks, change is a chance to embark upon new discoveries, forging new friendships and love.Reboot of ATSC.
Series: Mizuhiki Cy/Cy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148375
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Springtime in Shin'o

An ambassador from a faraway land once remarked: _"Springtime in Shin'o is colder than the winters of Kanto. Whereas my homeland brims with every color of the mind's palette, Shin'o exerts a reserved grace to its land and people."_

A region steeped in lore, Shin'o embraces its distant past as it progresses towards the future. Traces of modernization can be seen in Yosuga City with its Kalosian-inspired chapels and shopping districts; Tobari with its railroads and mines; Mio with its ports dotted with ships of foreign flags.

Not everyone has welcomed the change, however. Tucked within the snowy mountaintops lies the sleepy town of Kannagi, one of the remaining areas in Shin'o that has escaped the clutches of time.

A Mukkuru soars over the biggest house, its beady eyes honing in on a golden tuff spilling over the window sill. Taking the puffy mass to be food, the bird leans in with its beak—

"OW!"

Both human and bird squawk in surprise.

"Shirona!" booms a voice from the hallway. "Did you fall asleep again?"

"I was studying until the Mukkuru came in—"

A fan flies through the air, smacking Shirona in the forehead.

"Studying my dentures!" shouts her grandma. "You were daydreaming! Wipe the drool off your chin!"

"Why do you keep pestering me to study, Grandma? These books were written by fossils! I should be _outside,_ savoring every second of Spring!"

Grandma sighs through her nose. "We've been over this a million times! Do you know why I make you memorize these texts, Shirona?"

"Because you don't want me to forget my roots," is the tired reply.

"Yes! People have been killed over ownership of these books! Assassinations, coups—"

"Uuuuugh!"

The fan smacks again, and Grandma gestures to the window. Under a clear blue sky, the sakura trees quiver in a pollen-scented breeze. The family Milokaross glides through the shimmering lake, sunlight glimmering off its elegant scales.

"Shirona." This time, Grandma's tone is serious. "The world is changing. Why, it seems like only yesterday that I dressed you in kimono for the first time. And now, you wake up to flashy suits and chimney hats!

"When I was your age, we looked up to the samurai! We read epics and ballads, preserved the texts of the dynasties that came before… And now that Shin'o has followed Kanto's example of opening itself to the western world, the samurai have faded into fables. What is considered _Shin'o_ anymore?"

Shirona's head bobs up and down. Grandma rolls her eyeballs to the back of her skull.

"Anyway, our country is changing like the seasons. If we don't preserve our traditions… if we don't remember our ancestors and their contributions, who will we be then? A face without a name."

Silence follows her lament. Shirona scratches her head.

"Whatever," says Grandma. "I'm just repeating myself to a brick wall."

"But I _was_ listening—"

"Hey, remember how our stupid toilet is still clogged? I've finally caved and called a plumbing company to install a new one."

"Okay…"

"Someone's supposed to be coming today. _You_ will greet them."

Shirona stops daydreaming. "But Grandma! I don't _want_ to make small talk with an old man!"

Grandma is already walking away. "You're the face of Kannagi, _sweetie._ Why, I was as your age, my amazake and beauty would bring all the boys to the yard! If you won't study, then go make yourself useful!"

Yelping between protests, Shirona pursues after the old lady, but the latter proves too stubborn to be swayed. Grandma lunges for the door, Shirona throws herself forward, the weight of combined weight of two strong-willed women flinging the door open—

"Erm."

The two women glance up to a pair of widened blue eyes. A man. A young man, around Shirona's age to be precise. A rarity in this town full of shogunate-era mindsets aka old folks.

"Is this a bad time?" the stranger says after a pregnant pause. "I come on behalf of the plumbing company—"

"ACK!"

Grandma springs up to her feet. Yanks her granddaughter up by the hair.

"YES!" the old lady says loudly, her grin stretched unnaturally wide. "HEY! This is my granddaughter Shirona!"

"Grandma!"

"My name is Akagi," he says, clasping his felt cap to his bosom. "Pleased to meet you, Shirona-sama."

Heat colors Shirona's cheeks while Grandma's grin creeps up to her hairline. The latter jabs her elbow to her granddaughter's side, visibly trembling from suppressed laughter. Meanwhile, Akagi is doing his best to keep his smile polite in front of his rather eccentric clients.

At last, Grandma clears her throat. "Come on in, kid. Sweetie, show our lovely visitor to the bathroom, if you will."

"Sweetie?" Shirona echoes. "Did you seriously just call me—"

Wham! goes the fan. And that concludes her protests.

* * *

While Grandma chugs down her Moomoo Milk in the kitchen, Shirona is forced to show this dusty, dirty handyman around the house. Thankfully, he'd removed his shoes. But his socks have been patched, so that's unpleasant.

After no one talks, Shirona sneaks a glance over her shoulder. Akagi is staring at the floor… particularly at the thin blanket of dust that was swept under the tatami mats three days ago.

Shirona yelps, and Akagi immediately yanks his attention back to the task at hand.

"The sakura are in bloom this season," he says.

"Y-Yeah," she replies, trying very hard to ignore the fact that he lacks eyebrows. Definitely a culture shock. "Because it's spring. Duh."

Awkward chat aside, they finally reach the bathroom.

"I can take care of it from here," Akagi says.

Shirona watches as the handyman plucks his tools from his toolbox. There's an elegance to his movements, an unorthodox grace performed through clunky metal.

He catches her staring. "Did you… need to use the bathroom?"

And Shirona dashes out to the foyer where Grandma is sitting, one leg propped on the kotatsu and one arm draped over their pet dragon Gaburias's head.

"You're glowing like a tomato," Grandma purrs upon seeing her granddaughter. "Your hands accidently brushed?"

"No! Just because he's the only new face in town doesn't mean I automatically like him! He's creepy, with his blue hair—"

"Your tutor Goyo has violet hair. And it's not dyed."

"Goyo's weird too, but at least he has eyebrows!"

"What makes you think you can establish what's normal and what's not? You don't see me complaining about that mole where your belly button's supposed to be! And don't get me started on that zit on your as—"

Then Grandma spits out a mouthful of milk. Akagi stands in the hallway, frozen in mid-stride, apparently having been on his way to check the pipes in another room when he happened upon this very bizarre conversation.

"I-I didn't hear anything," he murmurs, hurrying away.

Ears burning, Shirona spins back to Grandma, who hides herself behind a fan. No one speaks for the longest time. What more is there to say?


	2. First Encounters

The ringing of metal fills the small bathroom. Plink-plink of a wrench against nail. Tap-tap of hammer against screw.

Akagi glances up to see someone glaring at him from behind a wall.

"Shirona-sama," he says with a stiff tip of his cap. "You… need to go?"

"And have you watching me like a pervert? No, thank you!"

Akagi blinks. Shirona wants to bash her skull into the wall.

"I-I'll take a brief break," he says. "Please don't feel the need to rush your business."

Before Shirona can rebuff her earlier outburst, he's already in the hallway, slapping on his boots.

"What's going on?" shouts Grandma. "You're done already?"

"No, Ma'am. I'll be back."

Grandma watches Akagi hop off into the distance. Then she turns to Shirona, who grimaces with her fingers dragging through her scalp.

"Bring him some food," the old lady says.

"Why? Why me?"

"Because the key to a man's heart is through his stomach! Sharing food is a sure way to know each other better!"

"I don't _want_ to know him better!"

Grandma lobs a bag of bonito flakes into Shirona's unwilling hands. "Then bribe him so he'll fix our bathroom faster! Do _something_ instead of lying around!"

* * *

Only in Kannagi can one view the oldest sakura trees in all of Shin'o. They grow in clusters around the outskirts of the small town, bordering lakes, scattering pink petals across tranquil waters.

A grumbling Shirona finds him there, seated at the base of the largest tree. A large black crow loiters around him, occasionally sneezing when a particularly strong breeze dumps pollen onto the earth below.

"Crows can sneeze?" Shirona mumbles. She has also made the unfortunate mistake of underestimating his hearing range, for he turns upon her whisper.

"They can," Akagi says slowly. "But it can be trouble when birds expel wet sprays."

"Oh."

"Hmm."

Shirona glances around. "We don't see crows a lot in Kannagi. Mostly owls."

"Understandable. Dongkarasu has never seen such beautiful sakura before. Kannagi is too pristine to attract crows."

"Oh. Is this your first time here?"

"Yes. Admittedly, I had planned to embark early for Kannagi in case I lost my way… which I did. The company never warned me of the thick fog that haunts Road 211."

Now that Shirona actually looks at him, she notices the small twigs sticking out of his hair. The scratches on his skin. The slight dampness of his clothes.

And she laughs, to which Akagi frowns.

"This is priceless!" she moans, wiping a tear from her eye. "Did you also fall into the waterfalls?"

"I fail to see the humor in my predicament."

Akagi then produces a wrapped rice ball from his pocket. One half he keeps, the other he feeds to his crow.

"What's in your onigiri?" Shirona says.

"Rice," he says after a pause, throwing his company a weary glance in case she makes fun of him again. "Just rice… why?"

With a triumphant whipping of her hair, Shirona proclaims, "Then you're in luck! My grandma gave you our leftover bonito flakes. Here."

She tosses the bag at him. He receives it with fluttering eyelids.

"Erm… thank you?"

"Don't mention it. Eat it before you go back in."

"Actually, I'm planning to bring this back with me, if you won't mind. These bonito flakes are of very high quality to be wasted as a snack. Perhaps I'll make this into soup…"

His mumbling is broken by another sneeze from Dongakarasu.

"I should be heading back," he says. "You came here to tell me that much, yes?"

Shirona sniffs. "I only came out here because Grandma told me to. Just hurry up and fix the bathroom already."

* * *

The sky is a burnt orange when Akagi announces the completion of the renovations.

"It wasn't just your toilet," he says to Grandma. "The pipes of this house are very old. Some were on the verge of exploding—"

"Ah! So that's why the ceiling would leak at night!"

"Ma'am, you should've reported the problem as soon as it arrived. Since this foundation was constructed from birch wood, excessive water damage—"

"But did you fix it though?"

"Yes. I had to replace some pipes. But your bathroom should be good to go. I can show you."

Akagi reaches for the knob—only for the door to swing open to a very happy Shirona.

"It flushes!" she exclaims. "Grandma, I had the best…"

Grandma clears her throat. Juts her chin to Shirona's direction. The latter is very confused… until her gaze catches on the trail of toilet paper jutting out from the pleats of her hakama.

Oh shi—

Akagi's head snaps up. "A-Anyway, it seems like everything is in working order. Your bill, Ma'am."

"Y-Yes!" Grandma keeps her face buried into the paper in her hands. "Okay! The bill! Uh…"

Face burning, Shirona dives behind the nearest potted plant and hides there until she regains some semblance of dignity. Deep breaths. Forced erasure of any embarrassment that had occurred not just five minutes ago. Armed with the cold elegance of a noblewoman, she strides confidently into the main room, actively avoiding eye contact with the two people there.

"Hey!" Grandma blurts. "D-Did you know that the Imperial Court once lent Kannagi its sacred texts for reprinting? Back when the bakufu wasn't established yet!"

Akagi perks up. "Before the bakufu? Amazing, I would've never imagined Kannagi's history to run deeper than Hakutai City's… This town actually resembles the woodblock paintings I've seen of old Shin'o."

"Hah! Yup, no one but old folks around here. That's why I'm training Shirona to take over my spot when I croak! She can recite all our sacred texts by heart!"

Shirona opens her mouth.

"But not today!" Grandma interrupts. "Oh, but you should've seen here this morning, studying diligently like the wonderful granddaughter that she is!"

"I'm sure Shirona-sama is… special," Akagi says softly. "She takes after you."

For some reason, that sounds more like an insult than a compliment. But Grandma is cackling like she's won the lottery, so Shirona just keeps mum.

After another game of _"Who Can Embarrass Shirona?"_ Akagi packs up to leave. Toolbox, check. Cap, check. His crow, check.

"What about the parting kiss?"

"Grandma!"

"Hush, child. Are you just going to let him leave empty-handed? A snack like that only comes around during a solar eclipse!"

"Ugh! Fine!"

Shirona scrambles out the door. Sakura branches tremble at the reverberating smacking of sandals against earth.

"Hey!"

Akagi stops. A faint sigh escapes his nose.

"What soup are you planning to make with those bonito flakes?"

He blinks. "Dashi. Maybe."

"Good!" Shirona shouts back.

"Thank you…?" Akagi covers his mouth with a hand, shoulders trembling slightly. "Well then. Do take care of yourself, Shirona-sama. Perhaps we'll meet again."

And with that, he heads off into the burning sun. Shirona stares after him, cheeks reddened, chest heaving from having ran out of the house.

Then Grandma smacks her spine with the fan. "Why?" she roars. "'What soup are you—' Girl, I didn't teach you manners so you'll humiliate me like that! My teeth were about to fall out just watching you!"

Shirona tosses her hands into the air. "You're too much, Grandma! It's not like he'll remember me next time we meet!"

"Then break the toilet again and call him back!"

_"Grandma!"_


End file.
